"Makerspace Facility Manager"

Makerspace Facility Manager

Job ID: 291229

Location: Marietta, Georgia

Full/Part Time: Full Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Job Summary

Responsible for overseeing the daily operations, personnel, budget, and strategic direction of a research core facility that provides specialized instrumentation, technical services, and expertise to support internal and external research efforts. Ensures the facility operates efficiently, maintains compliance with regulatory requirements, and supports high-impact research and innovation.

Responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Manages day-to-day operations of the makerspace facility, including scheduling, maintenance, and troubleshooting of scientific equipment
2. Provides leadership and supervision to technical staff, including training, performance evaluations, and workload assignments
3. Creates, maintains, and enforces standard operating procedures (SOPs), safety protocols, and quality control measures
4. Serves as the primary liaison with internal researchers, external users, and institutional stakeholders to ensure high-quality service delivery
5. Coordinates procurement, inventory management, and vendor relationships for instruments, consumables, and services
6. Prepares and communicates reports, usage metrics, and impact summaries for institutional reporting and grant support
7. Collaborates with faculty and researchers to support grant proposals and publications that utilize core facility resources
8. Implements strategies for continuous improvement, expansion of services, and technological upgrades
9. Ensures compliance with all institutional, federal, and sponsor policies and regulations
10. Manages facility budgeting and financial operations, including preparing and monitoring budgets, tracking expenditures, and overseeing invoicing to ensure accurate billing and cost recovery

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements
Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a STEM-related field.

Required Experience
Five (5) years of relevant experience in a laboratory or core facility environment in scientific instrumentation and/or facility management, including previous supervisory and/or team leadership experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Additional Preferred Qualifications
Knowledge of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) or scheduling platforms

Preferred Educational Qualifications
An advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a STEM-related discipline

Preferred Experience
Experience managing recharge and/or cost-recovery models and research budgets.
Experience in prototyping
Experience with utilizing and maintaining diverse fabrication and analytical instrumentation
Experience with software development and coding
Familiarity with grant writing and support for extramural funding proposals

Proposed Salary

The midpoint of the salary range is $110,300. Offers are based on relevant experience.

Comprehensive benefits to include Medical, Dental, Vision, 13 paid holidays, vacation, generous retirement plans, tuition waiver, wellness options, and much more! Visit hr.kennesaw.edu/benefits.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

ABILITIES
Able to lead and motivate staff in a collaborative team environment
Able to handle multiple tasks or projects at one time meeting assigned deadlines

SKILLS
Excellent interpersonal, initiative, teamwork, problem solving, independent judgment, organization, communication (verbal and written), time management, project management, and presentation skills
Proficient with computer applications and programs associated with the position (i.e., Microsoft Office suite)
Proficiency with budgeting tools, and scientific data systems
Problem-solving aptitude and initiative for process improvement
Strong attention to detail and follow up skills
Strong customer service skills and phone and e-mail etiquette